This Is My Story, Let Me Speak It
by Perky-Thief
Summary: Marie Antoinette This is a one-shot consisting of Marie Antoinette's final thoughts as she relives her life on the night before her execution. This is her biography. This is her life. Here her story


Hello readers, **Perky-Thief** here. I'm trying something a little new and different. This is a quick little one-shot Biography of the infamous Marie Antoinette. This isn't necessarily inspired by anything in particular, but I thought I'd upload it and see what people think of it. So, don't forget to **Read & Review**.

**NOTE: What you saw in the movie Marie Antoinette wasn't entirely accurate. Everything written here in this one-shot is completely factual according to history. I wanted to make it as real as possible, so if you come across some things that don't seem correct, rest assured that they are.**

Think of this as Marie Antoinette reliving her life on one sheet of paper and relaying it to the rest of the world...

Enjoy!

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I was born "Archduchess Maria Antonia Jospeha Johanna, daughter of Maria Theresa of Habsburg, Empress of the Holy Roman Empire of the Germanic Nations, and the late Emperor Francis I of Lorraine." A long title yes, I know; but to make things easier, everyone called me Antonia. I was born on November 2, 1755, in Vienna, Austria; one of 16 children, yet only 13 survived childhood. (Mama must be exhausted.)

Mama was a strong leader and the people of Austria loved her. She was a very busy woman and she tried to be around to raise us as often as possible, but when she wasn't, our tutorage was overseen by governesses. My governess was the Countess Lerchenfeld, but I just called her Lulu for short. Now that I recall it, I think I spent more time playing than I ever did studying, though I did quite enjoy my music lessons.

I realize now that Mama and Papa were really lucky. Unlike me, they married for love. They were both very formal while in the presence of the Court, but our family life was rather casual. For the time I knew Papa, I believe I was much closer with him than I ever was with Mama. He died when I was 10 of a stroke. He was the most good-natured man I've ever known; and that is how I shall remember him always…

When I was 14, I learned that Mama had arranged my marriage to the dauphin (crown prince) of France to cement an alliance between France and Austria. On April 19, 1770, I was married. Louis Auguste, as I had discovered his name earlier, could not be present for our wedding, so I was married by proxy to my brother, Ferdinand, who stood in his place. This was the day my name changed from Archduchess Maria Antonia to Marie Antoinette, Dauphine, Princess of Versailles, and the future Queen of France.

Two days later, I left for my journey to Versailles and finally arrived a month later. My first impression of my 15-year-old husband was that he was fat, extremely fat. But there was more to Louis Auguste than just his flabbiness; he was also awkward and quite shy. It was quite difficult to be married to such a man. Right from the start, he neglected his royal duties in favor of hunting and playing in his ridiculous locksmith shop connected to his quarters. And as I was to later discover, Louis Auguste suffered from a little medical problem called impotency.

It wasn't anything too serious; we just couldn't consummate our marriage for seven years. Of course, the people of France knew nothing of this; they simply blamed me for being unable to produce an heir to the throne.

The Court at Versailles was always much more rigid than Mama's. I suppose you could call it an act of rebelliousness, but I always somehow managed to yawn and giggle openly during Royal Ceremonies. I constantly insisted on going out with few or no attendants and refused to wear corsets.

On May 10, 1774, King Louis XV was declared dead and Louis Auguste became the new king of France, King Louis XVI. Three years later, my uncle, emperor Joseph of Austria, convinced him to get a minor surgery allowing him to father children. A year later on December 19, 1778, I gave birth to my first child, Princess Marie Therese Charlotte de Bourbon; but we all called her Madame Royale. I think it was then that truly became a devoted mother and wife and not a moment before.

My second child was a boy, Louis Joseph, born on October 12, 1781. He was the new Dauphin of France until he departed this world on June 4 of 1789 from tuberculosis of the bones. My third child and second son was born in March of 1785 and named Louis Charles. If all is to go as planned, Louis Charles shall inherit kingship as Louis XVII. My final child was a daughter, Sophie Helene Beatrice, was born in the summer of 1786. Unfortunately, she died only 11 months after her birth the following summer.

Even though I had a husband whom was hardly my hearts desire, he still found time to buy me many beautiful things. He purchased me many lavish dresses and adornments. It was then that I fell in love with fashion and high headdresses and plumes and voluminous dresses. But one could hardly call it my fault of developing a fascination for such costly things.

Louis also had a small palace adjourning Versailles built for me. I called it Petit Trianon. It was there that I arranged extensive interior decorations and built a theater for my entertainment and the Temple of Love in the park. I still can't completely understand why everyone blames me for France's poverty and poor economy.

The public has always hated me, mostly for my Austrian blood, I think. But I remember that at some point in 1789 a revolution broke out and my family and I were put under arrest and taken to a small palace and eventually a prison. They said that Louis and I had no right to rule. Can you believe that!

Today is October 15, 1793. Only 10 months earlier on January 21, my husband and the father of my children, Louis XVI was executed by the guillotine. I've over heard the guards outside our cell talking; tomorrow I am to be taken to be driven through the crowds up onto the scaffold where the guillotine lays. I know not yet what shall become of my two remaining children. I can only hope that God will keep them safe. For now I shall place these thoughts in the hands of my darling little Madame Royal and pray they may reach open ears whom might listen to my story…

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Tell me what you think! Please review! (No FLAMES!)


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